Word Pronunciation & Dictionary

topsy

/ˈtɒpsi/

Word Rarity Rare

Frequency: Zipf frequency 2.85 in modern English

Syllables: top-sy
IPA: /ˈtɒpsi/

10

Scrabble Score

5

Letters

2

Syllables

5

Unique Chars

Meaning

noun

Something or someone who figuratively grows without control or intention.

Example Sentences

"They employ a symbolism which grew like Topsy and has little consistency […]"
"Are you implying that it just grew—a Topsy?"
"The town grows like Topsy after the railway age begins. The fortifications are now quite useless since the city has outgrown them."
"Topsy-like, the Encyclopédie just grew and grew."
"The paper grew like Topsy. Within two years, we rented the place next door, knocked a door through the brick wall, redid the front to look like a real newspaper office instead of a bunch of fly-by-nighters […]"
"Why has National Strategies been allowed to grow like Topsy in some respects, and at the same time become even more complex, making it difficult for teachers to take in the amount of guidance that they receive?"

Etymology

After a character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), who, asked about God, says "I s'pect I growed. Don't think nobody never made me." The sense of excessive out-of-control growth is a misunderstanding.

Regional Pronunciation

British English: /ˈtɒpsi/

Phrases

topsy-turvy

Frequently Paired Words

topsy-turvy

Rhymes With

dropsy copsey

Questions

How do you pronounce topsy?: The recorded pronunciation is /ˈtɒpsi/.
What does topsy mean?: Something or someone who figuratively grows without control or intention.
Where does topsy come from?: After a character in Harriet Beecher Stowe's novel Uncle Tom's Cabin (1852), who, asked about God, says "I s'pect I growed. Don't think nobody never made me." The sense of excessive out-of-control growth is a misunderstanding.

How to pronounce topsy

Open the pronunciation page — Open the Speakur entry for “topsy”.
Read the phonetic spelling — Read the IPA spelling (/ˈtɒpsi/) so you know which sounds to aim for.
Play the audio — Click Play to hear reference audio for “topsy”.
Repeat and practice — Say “topsy” aloud, matching stress and vowels until it feels natural.